By Jaci Garrett | “Don’t you understand that you are a stumbling block to the church?”
“How can you live with yourself when you are living in so much sin?”
“I hope you know that God doesn’t approve of this.”
“Oh, you were called into ministry? That’s so great, you’ll make an amazing pastor’s wife!”
These are real words that have been spoken over me as a woman in ministry. I started in ministry when I was 16 and was working as a nursery minister for an organization called Lubbock Impact. I loved that job, but changed enough diapers and picked up enough saliva-soaked animal crackers to know that I did not want to do that forever.
I helped out in my youth group, was an on call volunteer for a soup kitchen, led Bible studies, and if the church was open, I was there doing whatever, whenever. When I was 17, I finally submitted to my fate of being called into ministry. It was as though everyone around me could see it but me.
I told my mom I wanted to “preach and pastor and lead, but I just don’t think that’s allowed.”
She laughed and said, “You don’t get to tell God what’s allowed and what’s not.”
Truer words have never been spoken.
I realize that I am very blessed to have a family supporting me and I am very much aware that is not everyone’s reality. Even still, all the support in the world cannot drown out the loud voices of opposition, oppression, and hatred. I find the complementarian view that the SBC so staunchly adheres to, to be a contradiction to the truth of scripture.
I disagree with Albert Mohler’s stance that there is a “natural order” to creation, which, in his interpretation, means that men are to be in dominance over women. Well, Mr. Mohler, I think that is an ignorant and misleading interpretation of creation.
In Genesis 5, it says, “He created them male and female. He blessed them and called them humans when he created them.” Men and women are equally created and equally blessed. As Dr. Curtis Freeman (Duke Divinity) pointed out to me, “Ezer means partner not servant.”
What a shame it is that Mohler cannot see and understand the beauty that is two genders, unique in their own ways, but equal in every way.
As was established in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), “separate but equal is inherently not equal.”
The church cannot continue to say, “we love and value women and do not view them as less than men,” while also saying, “but we know that God made women to be submissive to men.”
As I pointed out in my response to an article on a separate website, we must be extra cautious when we tell people what God would do or will do, and we most certainly should take caution in saying “I know God would…” especially when the statement being made on God’s behalf is so contrary to scripture.
After all, the Pharisees “knew” that Jesus could not be what God sent as the Messiah. When we claim to know what God would do about something, we take a big risk of making a very wrong assumption, and we all know about assumptions.
We tell women that God cannot use them and that they are to be submissive, but who was it that God chose to usher in the Christ child? Who was at the tomb, ready to proclaim the resurrection of Christ? Who remained at the side of Christ when the disciples got scared and fled? Who did Paul entrust the Church of Philippi to? Was it not Priscilla that played a key role in the training of Paul? What about Phoebe and Junia, were they not also pillars of the early church?
THESE ARE NOT ACCIDENTS OR ANOMALIES, THESE ARE THE ONES GOD CALLED! Surely, God can call even myself, Beth Moore, and any woman God choses.
In the 90s, the whole WWJD fad was at its peak, but I want to ask that same “what would Jesus do” question about women in ministry. From scripture, we see Christ empower women, entrust information and ministries to women, and encourage women.
I will not allow an organization of older men to dictate my calling, I will only allow the Trinitarian God, who I am working for, to tell me what I am to do. I will no longer allow Baptist men and women to beat out-of-context scripture over my head. I will not sit silently and allow them to berate my sisters in Christ who are doing mighty works for the kingdom just because they are women.
The only way that I survive hearing those things listed at the top (among other harsh words) is to know that; first I was appointed and called out by God, not man, and second that I have the Trinity, a host of friends, other women in ministry, and family standing behind me. When the negative voices get loud and begin to drown out the others, may my attention be redirected to the others.
May the Al Mohlers, John Pipers and Paige Pattersons of the convention see myself, Beth Moore, Rev. Dr. Molly Marshall, Rev. Dr. Meredith Stone and other women like us and tremble at the sight of powerful, godly women doing powerful, godly stuff.